植 (zhí) - to plant & to cultivate

植Tone 2

zhí ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

丈志

植 · zhí

to plant;

to cultivate;

to set up;

vegetation;

plants;

also used in names meaning 'to establish' or 'to cultivate'.

to plantto cultivateto set up

Usage highlights

Plant treesBotanyPlantsCultivateTransplantAfforestation

Synonyms

  • 种— to plant; to grow
  • 栽— to plant; to cultivate
  • 培— to cultivate; to foster

Antonyms

  • 伐— to cut down; to fell
  • 拔— to uproot; to pull out
  • 毁— to destroy; to ruin

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • We planted trees in the garden (植树).
  • He works in the field of botany (植物学).
  • The company established a new branch (植入了新部门).
  • She studies plant physiology (植物生理学).

Collocations

  • Plant trees(植树)
  • Botany(植物学)
  • Plants(植物)
  • Cultivate(种植)
  • Transplant(移植)
  • Afforestation(造林植草)

Idioms

  • Plant flowers intentionally but they don't bloom, plant willows unintentionally and they provide shade(有意栽花花不发，无心插柳柳成荫)
  • Plant melons and get melons, plant beans and get beans(种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆)
  • A single tree does not make a forest(独木不成林)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 植 carries strong agricultural and foundational connotations, representing cultivation and establishment.
  • In Confucian thought, cultivation of character is often metaphorically linked to planting and nurturing.
  • The character appears in modern ecological contexts related to environmental protection and afforestation.

FAQ